Our Story

Chestnut Brae Farm is 70 idyllic acres of mature sweet chestnut forests that were planted biodynamically in the 1980’s, mushroom crops, vegetables and heritage animals that are all farmed organically using regenerative agriculture and holistic management.

The farmers
John and Linda Stanley purchased the farm in 2013 with a plan to create a sustainable, self-sufficient farm producing a range of unique chestnut based products using regenerative agriculture. Passionate about healthy food, animals, plants and saving the environment, they restored the heritage rose gardens on the farm and seek heritage animals and heritage varieties of vegetables to grow.

The Farm

Formerly Chestnut Brae was both a chestnut and daffodil farm, now only the chestnuts are farmed, but the abundant daffodils means it is stunning in Spring when the daffodils are flowering, ablaze with abundance and colour in Autumn, and picturesque in Winter.

Located on the Blackwood River Valley Farm Trail, Chestnut Brae is just 15 minutes south of Nannup (off Vasse Highway and Chalwell Road) and 55 minutes inland from Margaret River. Chestnut Brae’s rolling hills, pastures and mature chestnut forests give a sense of being in Europe as you arrive at the farm. Free roaming poultry add to the soul satisfying peacefulness.

The heritage rose gardens are part of the Organic Garden Trail, The Festival of Country Gardens and the Nannup Flower and Garden Festival.

CHESTNUTS – The Healthy Nut

Chestnut Brae produce sweet chestnuts, a range of sweet chestnut products hand made on the farm and chestnut fed pork. Chestnuts are a delicious treat, either roasted or cooked in soups or other recipes, and have considerable nutritional value. Chestnuts are a 5 star food! The Health Star Rating system calculates that chestnuts score 5 stars out of five stars based on their nutritional composition. They are low cholesterol, high in vitamin C, minerals, such as potassium, copper and magnesium, amino acids and antioxidants. Chestnuts are also low in kidney stone-forming oxalate compounds, with less than 85 mg per 100 g, in comparison to other nuts. The fibre content of chestnuts, 3 g per 100 g, is higher than that of walnuts, with 2.1 g per 100 g, pecans, 2.3 g per 100 g, and pistachios 1.9 g per 100 g but about half that of hazelnuts. Their fibre content makes them a low Glycaemic index food — one that raises blood sugar slowly.

Fresh chestnuts are only available in season – which is April, May and early June.However we have peeled and frozen chestnuts available all year, until sold out.

Welcome to Chestnut Brae Farm Stay

A fully self contained three bedroom cottage, Chestnut Brae Farm Stay is the original farm house which was once a dairy at the time of the group settlement scheme in the 1920’s. Set in the stunning Blackwood River Valley, it’s the perfect destination for a relaxing getaway, or a family holiday. We farm sweet chestnuts, walnuts, pigs, sheep, cattle and mushrooms,chickens, ducks, quail, turkey, guinea fowl and geese and produce sweet chestnuts products and chestnut fed pork, lamb and guinea fowl.

Our family stayed at Chestnut Cottage for a weekend with another friend’s family. We had an amazing time fishing for Marron, touring the farm learning about Chestnut’s and just enjoying the peace, tranquility and nature. The kids had an absolute ball collecting the eggs each morning and feeding the Alpaca. We can’t wait to come back again next year.

Sarah Jones,Bullcreek,WA

Recipes

Cooking & Storing Instructions

Chestnuts are a versatile nut that can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes with or without its inner skin.
Fresh chestnuts, unlike other nuts, are a perishable crop. To avoid chestnuts drying out, store in an airtight container, paper bag or perforated plastic bag in the crisper compartment of the fridge. Low temperatures just above freezing and high humidity are the secrets to long chestnut life. Place a damp paper towel in with them and they should last a couple of weeks. For long-term storage Chestnut Brae ready peeled chestnuts are vacuum sealed and will keep about a year in the freezer.

Chestnut has been called the Bread Tree – it has a been staple in the diet for people all over the world for thousands of years. It is a very high quality food source, with the nutritional makeup of a grain, yet grows on a tree, without annual tillage of the soil, and...

Chestnuts were present in North America during the Eocene Epoch, beginning over 50 Million years ago. During the Pleistocene Ice Age 18,000 years ago, chestnut was pushed south as the temperate forests retreated to the warmer climate near the Gulf of Mexico. As the...

Asia is the largest producer and consumer of chestnuts in the world. The use of chestnuts as food over 9,000 years ago in Japan is documented in carbonized nuts found in ancient villages. Recent programs have mandated the large-scale establishment of chestnut orchards...

Chestnuts appear in the fossil record over 85 Million years ago, in North America, Europe and Asia. The 13 existing species of the chestnut genus all inter-hybridize readily, indicating that they are not highly differentiated from the parent species. EUROPE The...

The chestnut is the most useful tree in the world. There are 4 major species – American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) European Chestnut (C. sativa) Chinese Chestnut (C. mollissima) Japanese Chestnut (C. crenata) and 9 less important species of the genus Castanea in the...